BIOLOGY EOC REVIEW EXAMS WITH
ELABORATED QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026
activation energy - energy needed to start a chemical reaction; lowered by enzymes
active transport - movement of molecules across a membrane requiring energy to be expended by the
cell
adaptation - inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival
allele - the different forms of a gene; could be dominant or recessive
amino acid - basic building blocks of proteins
analogous structures - structures that do not have a common evolutionary origin but are similar in form
or function
anaphase - the third phase of mitosis, during which the chromosome pairs separate and move toward
opposite poles
antibiotic - compound that blocks the growth and reproduction of bacteria
antibody - a substance produced by the body that destroys or inactivates a pathogen that has entered
the body
antigen - substance (usually foreign) that stimulates the production of an antibody
,archaea - domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls that do not contain peptidoglycan
ATP - a nucleotide that stores and transfers energy within cells
autotroph - organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own
food; also called a producer
bacteria - domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing peptidoglycans
bacteriophage - virus that infects bacteria
base deletion - mutation which results in the loss of nucleotide pairs in a gene; have a major effect on
the resulting protein
base insertion - mutation which results in the addition of nucleotide pairs in a gene; have a major effect
on the resulting protein
base-pair substitution - a type of point mutation where one nucleotide and its partner are replaced by
another pair of nucleotides
behavioral adaptation - an inherited behavior that helps an organism survive; like escaping from
predators or find a mate
binary fission - asexual reproduction in prokaryotes by which one cell divides into two identical cells
fetus - an unborn or unhatched vertebrate in the later stages of development showing the main
recognizable features of the mature animal
, fever - a rise in the temperature of the body
fitness - the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific environment
food chain - a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
food web - a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
fossil - the remains (or an impression) of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age and that
has been excavated from the soil
gamete - egg or sperm sex cell that contains a single set of chromosomes (haploid), one from each
homologous pair
gene - sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait
binomial nomenclature - Classification system in which each species is assigned a two-part scientific
name including the genus and species
biodiversity - the variety of different species in a given area
biogeochemical cycle - process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are
passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another; like the carbon
and nitrogen cycle
biomass - the total amount of living matter within a given trophic level
ELABORATED QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 2026
activation energy - energy needed to start a chemical reaction; lowered by enzymes
active transport - movement of molecules across a membrane requiring energy to be expended by the
cell
adaptation - inherited characteristic that increases an organism's chance of survival
allele - the different forms of a gene; could be dominant or recessive
amino acid - basic building blocks of proteins
analogous structures - structures that do not have a common evolutionary origin but are similar in form
or function
anaphase - the third phase of mitosis, during which the chromosome pairs separate and move toward
opposite poles
antibiotic - compound that blocks the growth and reproduction of bacteria
antibody - a substance produced by the body that destroys or inactivates a pathogen that has entered
the body
antigen - substance (usually foreign) that stimulates the production of an antibody
,archaea - domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls that do not contain peptidoglycan
ATP - a nucleotide that stores and transfers energy within cells
autotroph - organism that can capture energy from sunlight or chemicals and use it to produce its own
food; also called a producer
bacteria - domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing peptidoglycans
bacteriophage - virus that infects bacteria
base deletion - mutation which results in the loss of nucleotide pairs in a gene; have a major effect on
the resulting protein
base insertion - mutation which results in the addition of nucleotide pairs in a gene; have a major effect
on the resulting protein
base-pair substitution - a type of point mutation where one nucleotide and its partner are replaced by
another pair of nucleotides
behavioral adaptation - an inherited behavior that helps an organism survive; like escaping from
predators or find a mate
binary fission - asexual reproduction in prokaryotes by which one cell divides into two identical cells
fetus - an unborn or unhatched vertebrate in the later stages of development showing the main
recognizable features of the mature animal
, fever - a rise in the temperature of the body
fitness - the ability of an individual to survive and reproduce in its specific environment
food chain - a series of steps in which organisms transfer energy by eating and being eaten
food web - a diagram that shows the feeding relationships between organisms in an ecosystem
fossil - the remains (or an impression) of a plant or animal that existed in a past geological age and that
has been excavated from the soil
gamete - egg or sperm sex cell that contains a single set of chromosomes (haploid), one from each
homologous pair
gene - sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait
binomial nomenclature - Classification system in which each species is assigned a two-part scientific
name including the genus and species
biodiversity - the variety of different species in a given area
biogeochemical cycle - process in which elements, chemical compounds, and other forms of matter are
passed from one organism to another and from one part of the biosphere to another; like the carbon
and nitrogen cycle
biomass - the total amount of living matter within a given trophic level
